Electronic devices such as semiconductors, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), solar cells, light emitting diodes (LEDs) and others are generally produced via batch processes involving many different steps. Device fabrication typically begins with a base-material substrate, e.g., silicon, ceramic, steel, glass and other suitable materials. Various sub-process steps are then carried out upon the substrate in specialized process tools designed to produce, for instance, patterned layers composed of select materials.
Some of the sub-process steps enacted by the process tools, such as, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), etching, or cleaning operations, utilize non-atmospheric or other specialty gases. Mono-silane and ammonia, for instance, often are employed in depositions of silicon-based or nitride-based compounds. Nitrogen trifluoride or fluorine may be used as process tool cleaning agents.
The process tools included within a fabrication facility, also referred to as a “fab”, generally operate independently of each other. Systems employed for supplying bulk non-atmospheric or other specialty gases to multiple process tools within moderate or large fabs are commonly centralized.
Non-atmospheric gases used in the production of electronic devices can account for a significant portion of the manufacturing costs associated with producing the device. Therefore a need exists for reducing or minimizing these costs. Since non-atmospheric and specialty gases may be critical to the fabrication process, a need also exists for reliable supply systems and techniques that provide unrestricted gas availability to satisfy the demands of the fab.